Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-02-13
ST. VALENTINES DAY.
An Opportunity to Tell Your Love or
Vent Your Spite.
VALENTINES, VERSES AND PICTURES
Something About the Origin and History Of a
Pretty Custom.
POETRY AND ART TO The RESCUE.

Tomorrow Is st. Valentines day, and
the letter carriers will be bowed down
with profanity aud an extra amount OF
mail matter. The timOrOus, bashiui
sweetheart, too modest to tell his love,
will purchase according to his means and
fancy, a souvenir that will reveal his affec-
ton all too well and render words unne
eeSSlry. A proposal of marriage can be
made without the ardent lover making an
idiot of himself in an attempt to pop the
fateful question in person. 1t also LET'S a
man out in case he is sued for breach of
question will view the lOye-miSsive in her
own light, and lead the young mar to his
fate, but if Barkis prove unwilling, no
court of law will assess more thar nominal
damages fo- a case OF this kind. So much
for the sentimental valentine. Then there
is the comic valentine, of which everybody
receives one or more, to remind him or her
| Of little personal infirmities and cOnceits
peculiar to the human race. If one, at
least, he not received, it shows that kind
hearted friends OF thoughtful enemies are
unknown. A person in that predicament
is to be piied.
II HISTORY OF ST. VALENTINE
seems to be muffled in ~obscurity. There
can be little doubt that the gentleman Of
fciated as "A bishop in the early Christian
church, and that he suffered martyrdOm
for his belief in Rome, being beaten with
clubs and afterwards beheaded, at the sug-
gestiOn Of the Yaleriauns. What all this
had to do with sending love tokens of the
nth Of February, it is hard To say. In But
ler's Lives of the Saints" mention was
made Of the fact that it was the usage
among the ancient Roman youth to draw
the names of the girls in q sort of lottery
on the nth of February in honor of the
goddess Juno. In exchange for this Gus
tom, certain Christian priests substituted
the names of saints sacred to Valentine.
The latter Christians, however, resumed
the custom of paying homage to the OBJ
jects of their affections on St. Valentines
day.
TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO,
it the words of a celebrated traveller, Mis-
SOr, is TO be believed, the joyous occasion
WAS celebrated in the following manner {:
"A number of young men and maidens
got together, and each one wrote his or her
name on separate billets, which they roll
ed up, or drew, by way of lots, the men
taking the maids billets, and the maids
the mems, 80 that each of the youths
lighted upon a girl whom he called his
valentine, and each of the girls upon a
young man, whom she called hers. Thus
each one had two valentines, and fortune
having divided the company into so many
couples, the valentines gave balls and
treats To their mistreSSes, and wore their
billets several days in their bOSOms."
Ii is not, therefore. astonishing that the
practice o fSending the notes, anonymously
by mail, should lave become popular. Ac-
cOIding to the old fashion the billets
which the young men and maidens cx-
change oil st. Valentines eve are not
opened until the next morning, hut are
placed beneath the pillows upon which
they sleep. BY SD doing they are sure to
dream of their valentines, and
AT the break of day,
start up and turn their pillows, curious all
To know what happy swain the FateS provide
4 mate for life. Then follows thick discharge
OF true lOye-knOtS and SOnnetS nicely penned,
But 10 the learned critics eye no verse,
But prose distracted.